1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disc brake assembly for wheeled vehicles, and more particularly to a disc brake assembly including a side spring which is integrally formed on a pad clip engaged with a mounting member in order to slidably support the brake pad on the mounting member and which urges a brake pad toward the tangential direction in the rotational direction of a disc rotor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As shown in FIG.7, a conventional disc brake assembly of this kind includes a disc rotor (not shown) rotated together with a wheel in a body, a pair of brake pads 100 disposed to both sides of the disc rotor, a mounting member 101 fixed to a stationary member of a vehicle and supporting each of the brake pads 100 so as to be able to slide in the parallel direction with respect to a rotational shaft of the disc rotor, a caliper member 102 slidably supported on the mounting member 101 so as to be movable in an axial direction of the disc rotor and pressing each of the brake pads 100 against races or the disc rotor, respectively and pad clips 103 engaged with the mounting member 101 so as to be interposed between the mounting member 101 and each of both circumferential ends of the brake pads 100, respectively.
The mounting member 101 is provided with a pair of arm portions 101A which are disposed to both sides of the disc rotor and in which a pair of grooves 101a1, 101a2 extend toward the axial direction of the disc rotor. The brake pads 100 are provided with a pair of ear portions 100a, 100b which are outwardly projected at the outer side of both ends in the rotational direction of the disc rotor, respectively and which are fitted into the pair of grooves 101al, 101a2 of the arm portions 101A of the mounting member 101 so as to be slidably supported on the arm portions 101A of the mounting member 101.
Each of the pad clips 103 is engaged with the mounting member 101 so as to cover each of grooves 101a1 , 101a2 of the mounting member 101 and is provided with 8 holding portion 106 which urges the ear portion 100a (100b) of the brake pad 100 outwardly in the diametrical direction of the disc rotor and which is formed on the pad clip 103 in a body as shown in FIGS. 8a-8c. Thereby, each of the brake pads 100 is always urged by the holding portion 106 of the pad clip 103 so as to contact an upper surface of each of the ear portions 100a, 100b with an upper inner surface of each of the grooves 101a1 , 101a2 and therefore each of the brake pads 100 is slidably supported on the mounting member 101 through the ear portions 100a, 100b and the grooves 101a1 , 101a2 without a play in the diametrical direction of the disc rotor. The pad clips 103 engaged with the one side portions of the arm portions 101A which are positioned at the entry side in the rotational direction of the disc rotor due to the forward of the vehicle are provided with a side spring portion 105, respectively. The side spring portion 105 is formed on the pad clip 103 in a body and is provided with an elastic portion 105a which urges the ear portion 100a toward the tangential direction in the rotational direction of a disc rotor. Thereby, each of the brake pads 100 is always urged by the elastic portions 105a of the side spring portions 105 through the ear portion 100a so as to contact the ear portion 100b with a vertical surface of the pad clip 103 engaged with the other side portion of the arm portion 101A which is positioned at the exit side in the rotational direction of the disc rotor due to the forward of the vehicle. A shim 104 which is coated by rubber is Interposed between the pad clip 103 and vertical surface of the groove 101a1 formed on the one side portion of the arm portion 101A which is positioned at the entry side in the rotational direction of the disc rotor due to the forward of the vehicle, respectively.
According to the above prior disc brake assembly, the ear portion 100b of each of the brake pads 100 is always contacted with the vertical surface of the pad clip 103 engaged with the other side portion of the arm portion 101t by the elastic portion 105a of the side spring portion 105, respectively. Therefore, when the disc brake assembly operates in the forward movement of the vehicle, the brake pads 100 do not move toward the tangential direction in the rotational direction of the disc rotor and thereby it is prevented that the uncomfortable noise is generated by a collision between the other side portions of the arm portions 101A and the brake pads 100. On the other hand, in case of the operation of the disc brake assembly in the backward movement of the vehicle, the brake pads 100 move toward the tangential direction in the rotational direction of the disc rotor due to the backward movement of the vehicle and deform the elastic portion 105a of each of the side spring portions 105 elastically until the elastic portions 105a contact with the pad clips 103. When the elastic portions 105a contact with the pad clips 103, the shock is absorbed by the shims 104 and therefore it is prevented that the uncomfortable noise is generated by a collision between the one side portions of the arm portions 101A and the brake pads 100.
In the above conventional disc brake assembly, however, since the generation of the uncomfortable noise is prevented by the shims 104, the number of the parts of the disc brake assembly and the steps for assembling the disc brake assembly are increased, respectively. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the disc brake assembly is increased and the assembling performance is deteriorated.